For some reason, I believed her. The story she had told me might have sounded like an excuse, but something about the way she spoke told me that she was telling the truth. I walked up the stairs, out of the prison, and directly toward the prince.
"Tell me where your father is," I demanded.
"Why?" the little boy asked. His sadness was still visible on his face. This whole situation seemed to be really affecting him.
"I think you understand many things wrong," I said, this time in a calmer tone. I didn't want to put even more stress on the boy.
The boy said nothing and simply led me to the king without another word. In truth, he was probably hoping that his sister was innocent.
When we arrived at the vestibule in front of the throne room, I noticed that the king's and royal family's area wasn't much larger than the area belonging to the ordinary citizens. The royal family seemed to place a great deal of importance on equality. I finally knocked on the door, and a single soldier of the king opened it for me. He was completely covered in knight's armor. I couldn't even see his eyes. A somewhat long hall then led me toward the king. So there was only one guard in the entire hall?
I knelt down.
"Dear King, I have a request to make of you," I said loudly, clearly, and firmly. I tried to show as much confidence as possible so that the king would take my words seriously.
"Speak," he replied. His voice wasn't deep, as I had expected. He didn't look much like a king either. He wore very little wealth, nor was he particularly impressive in stature. He also spoke to me very respectfully, as if we were equals.
"It is about your daughter. Have you already heard her side of the sto—" But before I could finish speaking, he slammed his fist against the wooden armrest of his chair.
I flinched slightly and looked up at him.
"Don't talk about that brat. That filthy child killed my wife and now she just wants to make excuses. She's a filthy traitor," he said. I watched as a small tear rolled down from his left eye. He looked angry and sad at the same time, as if he could break down at any moment.
I thought for a moment about what the most sensible thing to do would be. After about thirty seconds, I stood up without saying another word and walked out of the throne room. The little boy was already standing at the door, waiting for me.
"What just happened? I only heard Father shouting," he asked, a little frightened.
"This land doesn't need to be saved by me. As far as I know, there are no gods here threatening the people. Is that right?"
"Gods?" the boy asked, as if he had never heard the word before.
"That tells me a lot. How much do you know about the people living beyond your islands?" I asked. After all, they seemed to live very isolated from everything else.
"Not much," he said. "Where are we going, anyway?" he added.
"The world is full of lies. But your sister is telling the truth. I can feel it. I will free her," I said, but suddenly, the boy stopped and didn't say another word.
"I understand. Don't worry, you don't have to come with me." I nodded and continued walking. I felt sorry for the boy, but for some reason, I knew that his sister was telling the truth.
The prison door was still completely open, and I quietly went inside. Right at the desk, however, I saw the guard sleeping. I sneaked over to his desk and tried to find a key. There were drawers underneath his desk on the right, which I quietly opened. There was no key in any of them, but when I opened the top drawer, I saw a gray-shimmering object. A bomb.
"Whatever..." I thought to myself. The bomb wasn't even big enough to blow up the building. So I took the bomb in my hand, and my hand immediately absorbed it. I heard the familiar voice again.
"Small Bomb" Registered.
So this was also an object recognized by my Weapon Arsenal. I could also feel the bomb speaking to me. A weapon of Common rarity, just like my scimitar. I then quietly sneaked into the dungeon. Step by step, I walked down the stairs until I finally reached the bottom. I saw her lying there. But she was awake.
"Hey," I said quietly.
"You again?" she replied, annoyed.
"I thought you'd leave me alone after I told you my story?" she added, even more annoyed.
"Can't you just leave me al—"
I interrupted her with a clearing of my throat.
"Your dream is to find yourself a dream, right? You want to find a purpose in life again, don't you?"
For a moment, it was completely silent.
"Yes," she said. Nothing more.
I smiled.
"Get ready. I'm getting you out of here. You're coming with me, and together, we'll fulfill your dream." I felt the bomb in my hand manifest through my thoughts.
"Get ready!" I shouted at her.